The paradox of insular language
3 years ago
Monday, November 29, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
The difference between "push" and "pull" marketing in book publishing
Having worked with hundreds of authors I can say there are few who understand the differences between marketing a typical small press book and one published by a New York publishing house.
First, a major New York publisher has the ability of placing huge numbers of books in brick n' mortar stores while smaller presses try to avoid all the hoopla and instead publish books that appeal to a distinct market niche. This is because the book business differs from most because it is an industry that allows retailers to return unsold books for credit. And since small presses use distributors (rather than selling direct as many larger publishers do) a book that is returned is generally replaced by one from another publisher while books sold by the big houses are replenished by books they themselves publish. That in itself is huge when it comes to a publisher's bottom line.
What large publishers do is "push" massive numbers of books into the marketplace with the hope a good number will sell. If they don't they can always replace one book title with another.
Smaller publishers instead try to create demand for a book prior to producing large numbers with the hope customers will become interested and order a copy. Classic "pull" marketing.
For pull marketing to work a book needs to create interest through events (such as signings and speaking engagements) or occupy a distinct market niche that is search friendly.
Both push and pull marketing are viable ways to market books. The important thing for prospective authors for them to determine which will work best in their own situation. For example, if you have written the next great novel, but do not want to be bothered with marketing it, then you will want to hire an agent and pursue a major publishing house. If, however, you like getting up in front of a crowd, have a way to engage the public and realize your book has its own distinct niche, then you might better pursue a small press or self publish because you will be far more successful than if published by a major publishing house.
Bottom line: There are viable opportunities with both the push marketing of a major publisher and the pull marketing of smaller presses or self publishing. Key is knowing the difference between the two types of marketing and not trying to force the wrong kind of marketing into the marketplace.
First, a major New York publisher has the ability of placing huge numbers of books in brick n' mortar stores while smaller presses try to avoid all the hoopla and instead publish books that appeal to a distinct market niche. This is because the book business differs from most because it is an industry that allows retailers to return unsold books for credit. And since small presses use distributors (rather than selling direct as many larger publishers do) a book that is returned is generally replaced by one from another publisher while books sold by the big houses are replenished by books they themselves publish. That in itself is huge when it comes to a publisher's bottom line.
What large publishers do is "push" massive numbers of books into the marketplace with the hope a good number will sell. If they don't they can always replace one book title with another.
Smaller publishers instead try to create demand for a book prior to producing large numbers with the hope customers will become interested and order a copy. Classic "pull" marketing.
For pull marketing to work a book needs to create interest through events (such as signings and speaking engagements) or occupy a distinct market niche that is search friendly.
Both push and pull marketing are viable ways to market books. The important thing for prospective authors for them to determine which will work best in their own situation. For example, if you have written the next great novel, but do not want to be bothered with marketing it, then you will want to hire an agent and pursue a major publishing house. If, however, you like getting up in front of a crowd, have a way to engage the public and realize your book has its own distinct niche, then you might better pursue a small press or self publish because you will be far more successful than if published by a major publishing house.
Bottom line: There are viable opportunities with both the push marketing of a major publisher and the pull marketing of smaller presses or self publishing. Key is knowing the difference between the two types of marketing and not trying to force the wrong kind of marketing into the marketplace.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Biking and selling your book
This may be a stretch, but follow my logic.
Yesterday I biked the White Pine Trail which runs over 90 miles from Cadillac, MI to Comstock Park just north of Grand Rapids. The trail is part of the Rails to Trails Conservancy which is transforming abandoned rails to bike trails. http://www.railstotrails.org It is a tremendous program we should all support.
For myself I have experienced some issues with the systems of trails. Mostly it is because rail lines were built on a flat plain so trains did not have to endure the ups and downs of conventional roads. As a result when riding on these trails you do not experience the normal climbing and descending of the natural terrain. It is almost as if riding a stationary bike with moving scenery.
This experience reminded me of authors marketing their books. There is a common perception among authors (and publishers) that if a book is properly marketed upon release, after an initial high rate of sales it will settle down to an even rate that it will maintain throughout its lifetime.
In my experience, nothing could be further from the truth.
I have found that books have sales cycles that begin with great promise as the first copies are sold. But then, after that initial period of exhilaration, there is a slowdown as a book begins to find its long term market. In my opinion this is the most crucial time in the life of a book and when the author must be most involved, even if a book is published by a traditional publisher.
This is because a book, like any new business start up, starts its sales journey with some initial marketing intended to make the market aware of its existence. But, unless a book is continually marketed, it will soon disappear from the consciousness of the market. This is because every second of every day, someone else is also launching their book (or product). As a result the general public is overwhelmed with new marketing messages which then get in the way of you selling your book (or product). Even in the case of having your book published by a traditional publisher, they will only market your book during its first publishing season before moving on to its next list of books.
It is like the comparison of riding a bike along an abandoned rail as opposed to riding on the open road. Marketing can be compared to dealing with the challenges a bike rider experiences when riding the natural terrain. It is easy to descend a hill but hard to climb back up the other side. Those who have the willpower and strength to learn to climb hills enjoy the ride much more than those who do not. Book marketing (or any other type of marketing) is not like riding on flat ground. One cannot expect good results unless they are willing to do the hard work.
That is what marketing is. It is all about the things you do once your book (or product) is available. Yes, there are initial steps that are taken prior to its launch which need to happen with every new venture. But today it could be argued that good marketing is all about what is done on an ongoing basis.
Does Proctor and Gamble stop marketing its Crest brand toothpaste just because it dominates sales in its category? Absolutely not. I imagine the company spends at least as much now to promote its Crest brand than ever before. That is what good marketing is all about.
If you are an author or publisher are you still marketing your book as much now as you did the day it was released?
Take Away Points:
Selling a book (or any product or service) requires continuous marketing.
Books (and many other products) do not have due date nor do they expire on a particular date.
As I've said before; sadly, authors are usually the first to give up on their own book.
Sales cycles are like roads with rolling hills. Those who push hard when sales tick downward will have the most success.
For myself I have experienced some issues with the systems of trails. Mostly it is because rail lines were built on a flat plain so trains did not have to endure the ups and downs of conventional roads. As a result when riding on these trails you do not experience the normal climbing and descending of the natural terrain. It is almost as if riding a stationary bike with moving scenery.
This experience reminded me of authors marketing their books. There is a common perception among authors (and publishers) that if a book is properly marketed upon release, after an initial high rate of sales it will settle down to an even rate that it will maintain throughout its lifetime.
In my experience, nothing could be further from the truth.
I have found that books have sales cycles that begin with great promise as the first copies are sold. But then, after that initial period of exhilaration, there is a slowdown as a book begins to find its long term market. In my opinion this is the most crucial time in the life of a book and when the author must be most involved, even if a book is published by a traditional publisher.
This is because a book, like any new business start up, starts its sales journey with some initial marketing intended to make the market aware of its existence. But, unless a book is continually marketed, it will soon disappear from the consciousness of the market. This is because every second of every day, someone else is also launching their book (or product). As a result the general public is overwhelmed with new marketing messages which then get in the way of you selling your book (or product). Even in the case of having your book published by a traditional publisher, they will only market your book during its first publishing season before moving on to its next list of books.
It is like the comparison of riding a bike along an abandoned rail as opposed to riding on the open road. Marketing can be compared to dealing with the challenges a bike rider experiences when riding the natural terrain. It is easy to descend a hill but hard to climb back up the other side. Those who have the willpower and strength to learn to climb hills enjoy the ride much more than those who do not. Book marketing (or any other type of marketing) is not like riding on flat ground. One cannot expect good results unless they are willing to do the hard work.
That is what marketing is. It is all about the things you do once your book (or product) is available. Yes, there are initial steps that are taken prior to its launch which need to happen with every new venture. But today it could be argued that good marketing is all about what is done on an ongoing basis.
Does Proctor and Gamble stop marketing its Crest brand toothpaste just because it dominates sales in its category? Absolutely not. I imagine the company spends at least as much now to promote its Crest brand than ever before. That is what good marketing is all about.
If you are an author or publisher are you still marketing your book as much now as you did the day it was released?
Take Away Points:
Selling a book (or any product or service) requires continuous marketing.
Books (and many other products) do not have due date nor do they expire on a particular date.
As I've said before; sadly, authors are usually the first to give up on their own book.
Sales cycles are like roads with rolling hills. Those who push hard when sales tick downward will have the most success.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Blogging: Note to Self
I fear that I've become like the plumber who fixes his own house last. In January I pledged to myself to post a new blog every week throughout the year. But, as we reach the beginning of the last quarter of the year, I am averaging less than two per month.
Seems the doctor is not taking his own advice.
Each day, during conversations with colleagues, I tell them to keep writing their blogs.
Yet, I seem to find every excuse not to post new blogs of my own.
Like...
riding my bike
Or...
shooting photos
Or even....
walking the dog
But no matter the excuse, obviously I am not taking the time to follow through on my own promise to myself.
Take Away Thoughts:
What excuse do you use to avoid doing what you promised to do?
How will you get back on track?
Do you have a plan that is doable?
Seems the doctor is not taking his own advice.
Each day, during conversations with colleagues, I tell them to keep writing their blogs.
Yet, I seem to find every excuse not to post new blogs of my own.
Like...
Or...
Or even....
walking the dog
But no matter the excuse, obviously I am not taking the time to follow through on my own promise to myself.
Take Away Thoughts:
What excuse do you use to avoid doing what you promised to do?
How will you get back on track?
Do you have a plan that is doable?
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Learning about learning from Benjamin Franklin
Last week I viewed a remarkable interview of Ralph Nader on C-SPAN's In-Depth program. While I do not agree with much of what Nader says, I respect him for his unwavering commitment to his beliefs.
During the interview Nader talked about Benjamin Franklin, who is one of his heroes. Nader said:
Franklin is the demonstration of the power of self-education. He came from nowhere—was curious, observant—and taught himself. With all the current talk about education, there was never any reference to self education, which, of course, is the only way to learn. Instead we have a bureaucratic process of education when self education should be the progenitor. Anyone who wants to teach their children should learn from the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin who once said "he was born too early and in the wrong century." Franklin was a diplomat, writer, negotiator, merchant, printer, publisher, inventor—all self taught.
Franklin is the demonstration of the power of self-education. He came from nowhere—was curious, observant—and taught himself. With all the current talk about education, there was never any reference to self education, which, of course, is the only way to learn. Instead we have a bureaucratic process of education when self education should be the progenitor. Anyone who wants to teach their children should learn from the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin who once said "he was born too early and in the wrong century." Franklin was a diplomat, writer, negotiator, merchant, printer, publisher, inventor—all self taught.
While we must continue to embrace all forms of education, it is most important to stress life-long learning and the value of having a curious mind.
The world of publishing is undergoing a revolution with new technologies and devices to provide accessibility to learning we would not have dreamed of just a few short years ago.
At the same time the value of great intellectual content is as important as ever. Now, though, we can imbed huge amounts of content through the use of technology and broadcast it instantly around the globe.
Devices like the iPad allow publishers to insert video, photos, audio clips, links to websites, blogs, you name it within and next to the written word. Unlike one dimensional e-readers such as Kindle and Nook, iPad type devices can provide a much richer experience. Within the next year or two there will be an incredible number of new products with even more capabilities. We are just scratching the surface.
While some my bemoan the transition from printed books to these multichannel electronic devices, we must embrace this new technology and use it to its utmost. After all, what would Benjamin Franklin do?
My bet is that ole Ben would be at the forefront of this new technology.
The world of publishing is undergoing a revolution with new technologies and devices to provide accessibility to learning we would not have dreamed of just a few short years ago.
At the same time the value of great intellectual content is as important as ever. Now, though, we can imbed huge amounts of content through the use of technology and broadcast it instantly around the globe.
Devices like the iPad allow publishers to insert video, photos, audio clips, links to websites, blogs, you name it within and next to the written word. Unlike one dimensional e-readers such as Kindle and Nook, iPad type devices can provide a much richer experience. Within the next year or two there will be an incredible number of new products with even more capabilities. We are just scratching the surface.
While some my bemoan the transition from printed books to these multichannel electronic devices, we must embrace this new technology and use it to its utmost. After all, what would Benjamin Franklin do?
My bet is that ole Ben would be at the forefront of this new technology.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Amazon Kindle sales stats easily misinterpreted
You may have seen the headline earlier this week: E-Books Top Hardcovers at Amazon in the New York Times.
Sometimes it is important to dig a bit into a story to see what is hype and what is reality. While the information is true and, amazingly, in just a couple years Kindle sales have skyrocketed resulting in huge e-book sales at Amazon and other online merchants. However book sales consist of several formats and are not all hardcovers. In fact hardcovers are around one third of book sales with other sales divided between trade paper and mass market paperback. Also, Amazon has been selling Kindle versions of bestselling hardcovers at around ten dollars compared to the normal average list price of twenty-five dollars for a print copy. Many decisions for purchasing a Kindle download are made at point of sale. In other words, the customer is shown two choices. They can buy the print version or save a substantial amount by downloading a Kindle copy.
So while this is certainly worthwhile news it is not as earth shattering as what Amazon would like us to believe.
Will e-book sales continue to grow? You bet.
Is the printed book going the way of the dial tone? Not at all.
If one drills down into the statistics they will find that some genre sell extremely well as e-books while others are best suited as print copies.
Let's say you want to read the latest novel from John Grisham. You may be tempted to buy the e-book and load it onto your reading device so you can bring it along on an upcoming trip.
For other books you may want to have them in your library as a reference. In those cases you may prefer to have a printed copy.
Bottom line is that e-books are a great option and we, as consumers, like having choices in how we access our media. Rather than e-books being the way all books will someday be acquired, instead we will have multiple ways to access written content. What is important is that we embrace both future, present and past technologies so that the consumer can receive written content in whatever way they wish.
It would be a mistake to embrace one technology and cast off all others.
Will these changes in how written content is accessed make our lives more complicated. Absolutely. Get used to it.
Today we have so many choices in how to broadcast our intellectual content. From starting a blog to publishing conventionally, and everything in between, there has never been a time when we have had so many opportunities to share information.
Truly a great time to be alive!
Sometimes it is important to dig a bit into a story to see what is hype and what is reality. While the information is true and, amazingly, in just a couple years Kindle sales have skyrocketed resulting in huge e-book sales at Amazon and other online merchants. However book sales consist of several formats and are not all hardcovers. In fact hardcovers are around one third of book sales with other sales divided between trade paper and mass market paperback. Also, Amazon has been selling Kindle versions of bestselling hardcovers at around ten dollars compared to the normal average list price of twenty-five dollars for a print copy. Many decisions for purchasing a Kindle download are made at point of sale. In other words, the customer is shown two choices. They can buy the print version or save a substantial amount by downloading a Kindle copy.
So while this is certainly worthwhile news it is not as earth shattering as what Amazon would like us to believe.
Will e-book sales continue to grow? You bet.
Is the printed book going the way of the dial tone? Not at all.
If one drills down into the statistics they will find that some genre sell extremely well as e-books while others are best suited as print copies.
Let's say you want to read the latest novel from John Grisham. You may be tempted to buy the e-book and load it onto your reading device so you can bring it along on an upcoming trip.
For other books you may want to have them in your library as a reference. In those cases you may prefer to have a printed copy.
Bottom line is that e-books are a great option and we, as consumers, like having choices in how we access our media. Rather than e-books being the way all books will someday be acquired, instead we will have multiple ways to access written content. What is important is that we embrace both future, present and past technologies so that the consumer can receive written content in whatever way they wish.
It would be a mistake to embrace one technology and cast off all others.
Will these changes in how written content is accessed make our lives more complicated. Absolutely. Get used to it.
Today we have so many choices in how to broadcast our intellectual content. From starting a blog to publishing conventionally, and everything in between, there has never been a time when we have had so many opportunities to share information.
Truly a great time to be alive!
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